How SBS 2003 CALs Work with Windows 2008 in Your SBS Domain

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[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Justin Crosby]

As you probably already know your SBS CAL allows clients in your network to access other Windows 2003 or 2000 servers in your domain, without the need to purchase additional file and print CALs.  With the release of Windows 2008 we have seen many customers asking how the SBS 2003 CAL will cover their Windows 2008 server.  From the FAQ at https://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/sbs/evaluation/faq/licensing.mspx we find the following:

Q. Does the SBS 2003 R2 CAL allow me to access Windows Server 2008 connected to the SBS 2003 R2 domain?

A. Yes, until May 31, 2009, SBS 2003 R2 customers who buy a copy of Windows Server 2008 and add it to the SBS 2003 R2 domain can use their SBS 2003 R2 CALs to access the Server.

After May 31, 2009 you will need to either migrate your SBS 2003 server to SBS 2008 or purchase Windows Server 2008 CALs for the Windows 2008 server(s).